A summer trip to Iceland complete with hot springs, waterfalls, brews, and Icelandic cod fishing.
Day 1
After a 5 hour direct flight from JFK to Reykjavik, we headed straight to the rental car kiosk. After all of the warnings about renting a car in Iceland, we decided to rent a small AWD sedan from a local company at the airport (Sixt). Our first stop on the trip…The Blue Lagoon…to soak away our jet lag from our overnight flight.
Being a native of Idaho, home of natural geothermal springs, I felt a little bit of a commercial feel, and my body longed for hotter temperatures, nonetheless, the Blue Lagoon was an iconic place to visit with its blue water and mineral salt baths. The soak was well worth the visit and gave us the perfect kickoff to our Icelandic vacation. After our soak, we headed to our first rest stop in Downtown Reykjavik. We found a reasonably priced, newly renovated hotel downtown (Hotel Odinsve). We decided to take a nap to make up for our missed night of sleep and to get accustomed to Iceland’s new time zone (+5 hours). After melting our noise machine and almost lighting our hotel room on fire (Caution: Outlet voltage converters are only meant for low wattage devices i.e. phones) we ventured out to find Grillmarkadurinn (Grill Market). This restaurant came highly recommended to us by a friend who said she would get on a plane and fly to Iceland and back just for the Ribeye!
Day 2
We set out the next day for some sightseeing around the city. Our first stop was Hallgrimskirkja Church. After taking the elevator to the top we were able to delight in a colorful panoramic view of the city.
We stopped in at Braud & Company for freshly baked pastries and coffee, taking pleasure in visiting a small, local business with environmentally friendly practices. We found Reykjavik to be the perfect mix of a European capital fused with a traditional Icelandic viking town.
Next we headed down to the harbor to take in the ocean views. We visited the famous Sun Voyager (Solfar). The steel sculpture on Reykjavik’s waterfront resembles a viking ship. The statue instead is a dream boat and an ode to the sun. It is said to contain within itself the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress, and freedom.
Adjacent to the Sun Voyager, was the uniquely designed Harpa Concert Hall, offering an interesting architectural design symbolic of Iceland’s fishing industry and Viking heritage. The contemporary glass structure is home to Iceland’s symphony orchestra, Icelandic opera, and Reykjavik big band, complete with panoramic ocean views.
We continued on our sightseeing tour around Reykjavik stopping in for a beer at BrewDog, a local watering hole. We were impressed by their selection of craft beer and appetizers.
Our next stop, after visiting some local gift shops, was to the National Museum of Iceland. With our ancestors being of Northern European descent (Sweden, Wales, Scotland, England, and Latvia), we were intrigued about the history of Iceland. I was also excited to learn about the discovery and the colonization of Iceland. The museum was home to many artifacts from settlement to the modern age. The museum provided a detailed representation of the past 1200 years of Iceland’s cultural history. I still find it fascinating how this remote and rugged area of the world became a flourishing country.
We stopped for lunch and a flight of Icelandic beers at a local gastropub downtown, Santa Svinio Gatropub. The lamb sandwich paired well with the selection of local beers, great music, and super cozy atmosphere.
We finished the day in Reykjavik with a trip to a local market to pick up some food and provisions for our next few days in the countryside. We loaded up in our mini red car and headed for the Golden Circle of Iceland.
We set off for the Lava Cottage (a 55 minute drive from Reykjavik) near the volcanic crater, Kerid. We were fortunate to find a HomeAway rental cottage with a private jacuzzi in the peaceful countryside. The cottage was the perfect backdrop for the Iceland sunsets, that turned into sunrises, with the sun never fully setting during our weeklong adventure.
Day 3
Our first day in the countryside we explored the geysers and waterfalls of the Golden Circle. We ended the day with a soak in Iceland’s Secret Lagoon.
Day 4
A road trip along the Icelandic coastline, ending in the town of Vik, was complete with breathtaking views of waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, basalt columns, meadows of wildflowers, majestic wild horses, green hilltops and valleys, and an idyllic church atop a mountaintop. We found a quaint restaurant for lunch, Halldorskaffi, in the fishing village of Vik. Another incredible day in Iceland.
Glacier in the distance 
Day 5
A great day for a hike in search of Iceland’s “Hot River” began with Icelandic Skyr yogurt and freshly baked croissants. We packed a backpack with snacks, swimsuits, and a light jacket and we were off on our adventure. We headed toward Reykjadalur, the Valley of Steam, a beautiful geothermal region near the town of Hveragerdi.
We arrived at the trailhead, parked our car, and started our hike up the mountainside. The beginning of the hike had a bit of a steeper grade lined with grazing sheep and hot pools of geothermic activity lining the trail.
As we turned the corner to the next section of the hike, we were met with breathtaking views of distant waterfalls, rolling hills, and steaming pools of rushing water. We were in awe of the intense boiling pools right alongside the path.
As we continued along the trail (maybe 45 minutes) we reached the Hot River. The temperature outside was so temperate and mild during the entire week (around 60-65 degrees F) it made the Hot River an inviting destination. We found a nice spot to soak and take in the incredible scenery.
We ended our relaxing day of soaking with dinner at Krisp, an eclectic European restaurant in the town of Selfoss.
Day 6
Our vacation was nearing an end as we left our countryside cottage and started making our way back to the city of Reykjavik. We couldn’t leave Iceland without experiencing fishing in the Icelandic waters. We decided to book a hotel room in the city center closer to the waterfront so we could fit one last excursion into our itinerary. We found a room with a view of the town center at the Center Hotels Plaza.
We decided to explore the city streets of Reykjavik one last time. We were in search of some Icelandic fish and chips, but we were lucky enough to stumble upon the best noodle bowl in the world. Welcome to Hi Noodle! We decided to indulge and save the cod for our fishing trip.
With our bellies full of noodle goodness, we made our way to the harbor to board our fishing boat to check out our luck.
We had a great time hooking into cod and haddock, and met a lot of fun people from all over the world.
And our awesome boat crew even cooked up our fish on the ride back to shore.
What an incredible ending to a vacation filled with the perfect combination of city life and countryside adventures. As two parents, traveling without children, we took advantage of the endless daylight hours to explore leisurely at our own pace. Since the sun never went down, the days were long, leaving us with plenty of opportunities to sleep, explore, rest, and adventure. We couldn’t leave Iceland without one last stop at the Grill Market for their outstanding food, atmosphere, and overall dining experience.
As we made our way back to the hotel we delighted in one last Icelandic beverage at the very eclectic Skuli Craft Bar.
Cheers to the next adventure! Britt and Pete
Moving On 